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The Fox News Factor: The overwhelming success of the Fox News Channel
http://www.aim.org ^ | By Doug Schmitz

Posted on 01/31/2003 7:40:42 PM PST by webber

The Fox News Factor: The overwhelming success of the Fox News Channel

By Doug Schmitz
January 30, 2003

The overwhelming success of the Fox News Channel has finally snapped the establishment media's Achilles' heel. As the number one-rated cable news network, Fox News has broken Big Media's monopoly over the dissemination of news. By doing so, Fox News threw a monkey wrench into the liberals' political agendas. And that has them worried.

For decades, the establishment media have dominated the airwaves and newsprint. Now, with the advent of the Internet and the emergence of Fox News, they can no longer decide which major stories get covered - and which get ignored.

Many Americans have finally acknowledged "the elephant in the room" whenever they watch CNN or Dan Rather, and have been handed the power to switch. This makes Fox News a breath of fresh air - as well as a threat to an extremely dominating media culture.

As Bernie Goldberg pointed out in his bestseller, "Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News," the way to fix one-sided reporting is not to hire more conservative writers. The only way to remedy the slant is to do the job right the first time by reporting both sides of the news. Fox News' Roger Ailes saw the problem and fixed it. What Fox News did was truly unprecedented. They sought to restore the tenets of fairness and balance; basic rules of journalism that have all but been forgotten.

Although Fox News occupies fewer markets than CNN and MSNBC, they draw a much larger audience. That speaks volumes about the hunger for objective news coverage.

But while the Big Media often place politics over principle, the independent news organizations have suffered attacks by liberals who don't like what Fox News and other independent news organizations, such as the Washington Times, WorldNetDaily.com, Newsmax.com and CNSNews.com, report.

When Democratic scandals do get coverage from independent news sources, the liberals likely perceive them as politically motivated attacks.

By the same token, if the mainstream media had exposed Bill Clinton, it's quite possible that he would have been held accountable for his crimes and respectfully left office, like Richard Nixon.

Despite Mr. Clinton lying under oath to a federal grand jury, suborning witnesses and tampering with evidence, he went through his presidency virtually unscathed. Nixon, however, wasn't so fortunate. When two investigative reporters from the Washington Post exposed him in the Watergate scandal, his political career was over.

So why didn't the press go after Clinton like they went after Nixon? The fact that Clinton was a Democrat probably made all the difference. Hence, the reason Democrats never complain about a liberal media bias: they possibly think they can seek refuge with the establishment media. But when Democrats like Al Gore and Tom Daschle decry the independent media, it's a sure sign Americans are getting a side of the news they haven't heard.

The mainstream press seemingly goes out of their way to appease Democrats. After all, nearly 90 percent of them are registered Democrats, according to a 1996 Freedom Forum survey. So it comes as no surprise that Democrats - who pride themselves on the power of the press - bemoan the independent media.

But whenever the independent media uncover Democratic scandals, it's immediately declared "right-wing." Yet with the mainstream media, the Democratic viewpoint usually goes unchallenged. Now, the mainstream media are trying to copy Fox News' success with little, if any, results. In fact, when Fox News was the first to create the ticker that runs text across the bottom of the screen, the others immediately followed suit.

For example, CNN's attempt at revamping its news programs probably shows its paranoia. And MSNBC, calling itself "America's News Channel," might be exposing its own uncertainties.

After all, if Fox News was the conservative and pro-Republican vehicle that liberals claim, they wouldn't have hired Alan Colmes, Greta Van Susteren, John Gibson or Geraldo Rivera. If the mainstream media ever hope to succeed, they should follow Fox News' lead and report the news the way it was meant to be reported - fair and balanced.

Besides, if changes were already evident, CBS News and the others wouldn't be going down in flames in the ratings war. If the media elite insists on ignoring the warning signs, they will only have themselves to blame.

 


Doug Schmitz, a journalist and media commentator, has written for Accuracy in Media and Ether Zone. He's currently writing a book on media bias. © Copyright 2003 by Doug Schmitz, M.A.
This article can be read @: The Fox News Factor


TOPICS: Announcements; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: mediabias
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To: Once-Ler
It sounds far out, but I believe you're onto something. Maybe a deeper truth, or just an interesting insight... Thanks for the comment.

I suspect for ABCNBCCBSCNN profit will always take a back-seat to the real objective of slanting the news or even complete lies to further the political agenda of the left. The millionaire/billionaire owners of these huge conglomerates more than make up the lost profits by promoting liberal laws that funnel the money from the family to the government where it is laundered and given back to the liberal rich under the guise of targeted tax cuts for liberal businesses and grants for liberal corporation that foster dependency worldwide. The end to a long dry spell has come for those who wanted balance on TV news. Our thirst is great...Cheers to Fox News for quenching it.

21 posted on 02/01/2003 9:26:27 AM PST by GOPJ
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To: GOPJ
BEEN saying it for a long time now ,without fox we would have had al gore and that is a awful thought.
22 posted on 02/01/2003 12:31:34 PM PST by sheila mlls1
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To: Rome2000
How many trees are cut down to print the NYT a year?

Good point. Someone ought to ask that of the Huffster as soon as the private jet she rides around in lands.

23 posted on 02/01/2003 3:02:54 PM PST by DaBroasta (All the good democrats are dead)
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To: blam
Conservatives ought to support Insight Magazine instead of Time, Newsweek and USN&WR too. (The editor of Insight is also a FReeper, Paul Rodriguez)

The polls they have on this looks like they need freeping big time. Wonder why this right leaning Mag. is visited by so many liberals??

24 posted on 02/01/2003 3:23:19 PM PST by my right
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To: BOBWADE
Ping
25 posted on 02/01/2003 6:04:49 PM PST by zip
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To: PokeyJoe
You need to order the official Raelian-approved "Fox News Anchorette Cloning Kit" -- in two weeks you can grow your own Dhue.
26 posted on 02/01/2003 6:08:33 PM PST by bvw
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To: webber
I only change the channel when Geraldo, "The Fake", comes on. Can't help it....! I send FNC an email and let them know why I changed the channel.

I've already bet money big money that he would show up in Texas for the Shuttle Investigation. FNC, can't find a spot for him. I would love to know just what his ratings are.

27 posted on 02/01/2003 6:11:34 PM PST by Capt_Hank
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To: zip
Fox is the only news I watch anymore.
28 posted on 02/01/2003 6:35:43 PM PST by BOBWADE
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To: webber
bump
29 posted on 02/01/2003 8:41:21 PM PST by foreverfree
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To: gitmo
I have to say, though, that FOX also has featured BEAUTIFUL people, by and large, as its anchors, readers, hosts. It is hard to beat Lauren Greene, Juliette Huddy, Kiran Chitwin, Jane Skinner, and Laurie ("Lips sweeter than the morning") Duhe.

While I would hardly call the males sex symbols, you do have a rugged looking group with Brit Hume, Geraldo, and Brett Baer. But especially with the women, I think FOX has understood that television is about VISUAL APPEAL every bit as much as it is about content. That is not a knock. You see CNN trying to match the "Fox babes," but the CNN announcers just lack a certain character. Virtually all the Fox female announcers are not just pretty, but INTERESTING looking. Since they are obviously also smart and articulate, it's hard to beat with the shrill Judy Woodward and Margaret Carlson.

30 posted on 02/02/2003 7:50:34 AM PST by LS
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To: webber
I watched as an NBC Pentagon reporter [Miclesewski sp?] while talking about the Shuttle disaster [with the usual shallow emotion guided buzzwords] ended his little rant by saying something to the affect:

"Rumors of terrorist conspiracy and machination surrounding this disaster have quickly blazed across the internet...but from here that just doesnt look to be the case"

To me, it was an obvious jab at the Internet and all of the independant media outlets and an attempt to paint NBC as somehow being much more credible.

I just laughed and laughed at the transparency.

The hubris of this guy. I have watched Rumsfeld [female dog] slap this guy as a matter of daily briefing protocol and still he comes up with this crap.

LOL

31 posted on 02/02/2003 12:08:22 PM PST by VaBthang4
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To: LS
Fox does indeed have some hotties working for them. I'd urge them to continue to bring in new talent and keep the faces fresh.

Soon they are going to have to [or at least should] change the graphics they use. Many of them are simply too large. Gives off the feel of having your computer monitor's settings too high and you get oversized graphics.

Chill with the absolutely corny Fox News Alerts. They now have close to zero credibilty because there are at least three a friggin day. I mean when you segway into the Space Shuttle disaster with the same alert that you use to cover a guy with a flat tire on 95 North, you kinda dilute the process.

Brit Hume is outstanding. I would however like to see some younger Conservatives on his nightly panels. Barnes is alright but far to uptight. You mean to tell me you cant find a young, charming, good looking guy that can speak with equal passion as Barnes? Please....gimme a call. Also...the turn around time on the wartime grapevine segment is a day too slow. I am farily certain he gets quite a bit of that stuff from right here at FR. It shows up here on Monday and makes its way to the grapevine by wednesday.

I am assuming they are confirming the info as well as watching to see how popular a particular subject is here...but they could shrink the turnaround curve a bit.

GO FOX GO!!!
32 posted on 02/02/2003 12:19:23 PM PST by VaBthang4
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To: VaBthang4
Absolutely agree on the "alerts." Our stupid radio station here at home does the same thing, breaking in with weather---but not tornadoes, merely a flake or two of snow, or some car trouble on an off ramp.
33 posted on 02/02/2003 1:09:16 PM PST by LS
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Comment #34 Removed by Moderator

To: PoliticalGenius.com
"After all, if Fox News was the conservative and pro-Republican vehicle that liberals claim, they wouldn't have hired Alan Colmes, Greta Van Susteren, John Gibson or Geraldo Rivera."

John Gibson is no liberal!
35 posted on 02/02/2003 9:09:39 PM PST by ConservativeMan55
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To: Judith Anne
Let them eat Fox scat!!
36 posted on 02/02/2003 11:38:01 PM PST by Atchafalaya
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To: All
I have Dish TV, and watched a couple of the press conferences on the NASA channel. There was no crawls, no whooshing noises, no postage stamp sized images, no spinning ads telling you about something coming in 2 weeks, not even so much as that stupid bottom right logo. There was NOTHING but a pure image.

That said, I can't understand all the fawning over Fox News, when they look just like the cancered hooker that is CNN.
37 posted on 02/03/2003 7:05:34 AM PST by JoJo Gunn
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